Prevalence of smoking habit in students of health professions. Matanzas. 2008-2009

Abstract

Smoking is a world problem with a high prevalence, not only among the population, but also among the health professionals that should be an example in the struggle against this addiction. We carried out a prevalence study to quantify the proportion of smokers among the 3rd year students of Medicine, Stomatology, and Nursery, at the Medical Sciences University Dr. Juan Guiteras Gener, of Matanzas. We applied a survey to 440 students and found a prevalence of 22 % of smokers, with predominance of the male students and the students of Nursery. When assessing the exposition to the environmental smoke, there was a high prevalence of passive smokers both in the houses and out of them, including the studying areas (71,8 % and 62,9 % of students, respectively). The smoking habit began at the age between 16 and 19 years old, and the group that smoked for the first time when they were from 20 to 29 years old, was the group that more maintained the habit. Between the smokers and non-smokers, the second ones were more inclined to forbid smoking in restaurants, discotheques, bars, clubs and public places than smokers. The identified high prevalence of smokers among health students makes necessary to reinforce the educative work in this group of future professionals for they could really play their educative role.